RPM Insights

We’re currently working with Smirnoff on its pre-mix sampling campaign. The brief is to build a sampling stand that replicates the comfort of the home environment, with the intention to draw shoppers toward it, showing them that Smirnoff Premix can be consumed in the home as commonly as wine or beer is.

The appeal of a homely environment has always attracted consumers and is something marketers should bear in mind when creating an engaging brand experience. I can count copious times, for example, when I’ve chosen a restaurant specifically because the chairs and tables reminded me of the wooden decor we have at home, or because their low lighting and cushioned sofas were cosy and living room-like.

This isn’t the only evidence of course! In July last year, Jacques Cider created the Jacques Cider Townhouse in which visitors could enter and experience a quintessential English tea party with an added Jacques twist. Queues formed outside the (front) door, and the campaign was extremely successful. It would be interesting to know whether the campaign would have had the same results had it been hosted within a snazzy London bar.

Hollister, the clothing brand, has also used ‘the home’ to appeal to consumers. Its stores are built within a house-like structure, and inside they’re decorated to match pleasant interiors, with rich fabrics and sofas to rest your feet. Direct marketing to the home can also work well. Last year, we created a campaign for popular board game Cranium to broaden the appeal to families in the run-up to Christmas. We targeted families by sending the game directly to their homes, asking players to upload their ‘dream team’ for a chance to win a Cranium Party Night gift pack.

Players were then also encouraged to upload the best images of their party night to win a holiday to a destination of their choice. This campaign was successful because consumers are at their most comfortable when in the home environment and are therefore more likely to be receptive to marketing when they don’t feel ‘forced’ into participating. This is definitely something to consider when we think about Engagement.